Monthly Archives: September 2015

The #BlackLivesMatter movement began in 2012 as a mere social media hashtag in response to the killing of Trayvon Martin and the non-conviction of his assailant. As the list of unarmed Black people who died in the face of police excess or under mysterious circumstances grew, a diverse array of strategists and activists responded to the call of the founders of this Internet effort. Further inspired to action by the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, a national movement was born. #BlackLivesMatter moved from seats at a computer to feet on the streets. Since that time, #BLM has become arguably the most powerful and prominent “ideological and political intervention” on issues affecting Black people in the United States.

Face it. Most of us join boards either to support a cause or to get paid! But many of you may not know which boards actually offer remuneration for board service. “Usually,” you may be thinking, “board service comes with an expectation for a contribution, doesn’t it?”

Well, slow your roll. When I say “get paid,” I’m not just speaking of money, though that’s not a bad reason to join and to be fully committed. Joining a board delivers a payment that can’t be monetized. We find it in entities such as the NBA, the NFL, sororities, fraternities, the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts and other clubs and organizations. The pay-off is being part of a team.

Believe it or not, social media is here to stay. More than ever, today’s business environment is saturated with communication messages. As recently as five years ago, the prevailing marketing messages came from brands. Whether they were communicated through broadcast, print or online media, most messages came from the organization. Today, social networking is the top online activity, with the average American spending 37 minutes per day online. In addition, around 46 percent of web users look to social media when making a purchase.